The Final Kingdom Card
by Kali Cephirot
Summary: Key Bearer Kairi has captured every card except the elusive Earthy, but that's about to change. And what is that about a Moon Guardian?.... ONE SHOT. FINISHED.


**The Final Kingdom Card.**

It's the same dream again. She's there, at her island, before she fell unto the ocean, but she didn't drown. Instead, at the bottom, there were puzzles with missing pieces. Pieces that are quickly filled as the cards she has been collecting for so long, and they fly away from her, making it so that the pictures are complete.

The different thing was that, this time, she's not alone there to watch that. Instead she heard footsteps and she turned around: there was someone with long silver hair and a black coat getting closer, but she woke up before she could actually see who was there.

"Kairi?" Sora yawned, blue eyes opening look at her, his sleepy expression gone in a flash when he saw her face. "Kairi, are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?"

"I wouldn't call it a nightmare," she said finally, sitting down, reaching to scratch Sora behind his ears, listening to the not-quite purr the lion cub made. "It was just weird."

Sora paddled closer, flopping himself on her lap, as if he really was an overgrown cat. Kairi couldn't really say that she minded, and she rubbed his ears again.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Mmm, I'm not sure," and she's not, really. She remembered the dream, sorta, but the longer she was awake, the fuzzier it got. Kairi sighed. "It's probably nothing."

"Don't say that," Sora admonished. "Dreams are important. Especially since you're--"

"Yes, yes, the Key Bearer," even as she rolled her eyes, Kairi moved a hand to touch the tiny key-like pendant hanging from her neck, feeling the shape of it, somehow gathering comfort from it.

"I hope you find Earthy soon," Sora said around a yawn. "That's the only Card missing, y'know? And with it, I'll be able to turn back into my real form."

It might be the fact that she had never before seen a lion cub with wings, but somehow, Kairi can just wrap her mind around the fact that Sora, who loved desserts and rolling all over her floor with her soccer ball and who loved cuddling, might have a bigger, 'more imposing' real form.

"You're fine like this," she told him, just half teasing, wrapping her arms around him to drag him closer, completely intending to use the Sun Guardian as her own personal plushie.

"Kairi!, I've told you that _this_," Sora gestured towards his own body in all it's lion-cubby form. "Is just temporary! It's just bad luck that we didn't manage to find that card before, if we had--"

"You'd be able to transform into your magnificent real form at will," Kairi interrupted with a teasing grin, even as she rubbed her face against his fur, yawning. "But you're so cute like this!"

Sora grumbled, but didn't actually complain. Kairi smiled, closing her eyes, falling asleep within seconds.

* * *

She yelped when a cold soda can was pressed against her side of the neck. Riku gave her a lazy half grin that Kairi did her best to ignore, but it didn't quite work since she could feel herself starting to smile. She stuck her tongue out at him anyway, even as she took the can from his hand.

"Meanie."

"True enough," Riku agreed, sitting down besides her, both of them swinging their legs. "You seem tired."

"Mmm. Didn't sleep much," Kairi offered, playing with the tab before she opened the can, taking a sip. "Weird dreams."

"What kind of dreams?" Riku asked, concern warm in his eyes despite the fact that, Kairi knew, he'd be absolutely embarrassed if she pointed this out.

It's not been a whole year since she met him and yet Kairi already thought of him her best friend besides Sora. It's not something she can explain, not even if she actually tried to think about it herself. It just was, there in the warmth she felt when Riku waited for her after school, or when he stopped by her aunts' store to help. It's so similar to the warm glowy feeling she got with Sora that Kairi had wished, more than once, that she could tell Riku about the cards and about Sora as well. For some reason, she's absolutely sure that they'd get along.

She had thought that he might consider it weird, before, when she started hunting for the fifty two cards that had been lost, but now she had caught almost all of them, with Sora telling her about the worlds the cards come from, about the mermaid with bright red hair that is Watery, how Forest was a nymph, the mischievous cat-like grin that Illusion was. Before, Kairi had thought that there was no way anyone would believe her, so she and Sora had worked together for most of the year to get all the cards back. Even if her aunts had found out about Sora and had helped her as much as they could, she had believed she wouldn't be lucky enough to have anyone else believe her.

But now, she was almost completely sure that, if she told him, Riku would believe her. Surely if she showed him the cards, and maybe if she convinced Sora to come out... he was always complaining about being bored, after all, and he loved when she took him out, so maybe...

"Kairi?" Riku waved his hand in front of her eyes, frowning, concerned. "You spaced out. Are you feeling okay? I can walk you to the infirmary if you're not..."

"No, no, I'm fine!" Kairi chirped. "I was just thinking about..."

"Yes?"

She made up her mind.

"Riku, would you meet me today at the beach? Before sunset? There's something I have to tell you."

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Sora asked for the fifteenth time of the afternoon.

Kairi sighs and perhaps she glares a little. "_Yes._"

"Hey, you don't have to look at me like that! I'm just worried about you!" Sora shakes his head, running to catch up with her, since flying would look too suspicious. It was weird enough that she had a lion as a 'pet'. "This guy is your friend, and not everyone reacts okay to things like magic and--"

"I'm sure it'll be okay," Kairi told him with a smile, touched that he was that worried about her. "I'm more worried that he might get the wrong idea."

"Wrong idea?" Sora asked, confused.

Her aunts, Kairi knew, only meant the best for her. But they not only were, at the best of times, overprotective, they also liked helping her a lot. Even when she didn't need help. She touched the skirt of the dress aunt Flora had given her, smoothing it out. The moment she had told her aunts that she was going to meet with a friend, her aunt had practically flown to get her the dress, while aunt Fauna combed her hair and aunt Merryweather told her everything that she should do and everything she shouldn't do. Very rarely Kairi had the heart to actually tell the lovely women 'no', even if many times they were misguided.

So now she was meeting her best friend in a lavender dress and wearing sandals instead of her usual boots. Hopefully, she thought, Riku would just consider it a joke.

"You know, now that I think about it, it's weird," Sora added.

"What's weird?"

"Well, you caught Watery and Windy ages ago," Sora said, and Kairi moved a hand to her purse, where the deck was waiting. Windy had, indeed, been the first card she had ever gotten, the beautiful woman that could make reindeer and bobcats run through the air currents, and catching that had been way more hard than she had ever thought it could be. "And you even have the Dark with you. So that guy should have appeared already."

"That guy?" Kairi frowned. "Who? Oh, look, there's Riku."

"Didn't I tell you about him?" Sora blinked, even as Kairi waved at her friend. "Y'know, I'm the Sun Guardian, and there's a--"

But Sora was interrupted by a sudden and extremely violent earthquake that made them both fall to the ground, and a strong magical presence spreading through the whole place.

"A Kingdom Card?!" Kairi wondered. Sure, she had meant to show them to Riku, but not like this! "Where?!"

"Kairi!" Riku was running towards them despite the violent way it was shaking, quickly covering her. "Are you okay?!"

"I--"

"Kairi, release your keyblade!" Sora called, wings spread for him to start flying. "We need to find where it's attacking, or it won't stop!"

Despite the screams of the people around, there was a moment of silence as Riku stared.

"Did your pet just _talk--_"

This was _not_ the way she had seen this going on. No time to focus on that.

"I'll explain everything later, Riku, I promise!," She said before she knelt, holding her keychain. "Key which hides the powers of darkness, show your true power before me. Under the contract, Kairi commands you. Release!"

There was always a brief moment of warmth as the keyblade took its true form, almost as if it was done to fit her and her strengths. Kairi was pretty certain that she was looking too much into it: from what Sora had told her, king Mickey had been wise, but not _that_ much.

Sadly, before she could bring out a card, there was a roaring and the earthquake intensified for a moment, and she saw the Kingdom Card: a huge bear-like figure that was slamming its paws against the ground, roaring in a way that Kairi thought sounded furious. She wasn't sure if it saw her or not, but the moment it turned towards where she, Sora and Riku were, it raised on its hind legs and then let the front ones fall hard against the ground, sending a huge shockwave of rocks and sand her way, way too fast, not even giving her the chance to cast Shield to protect them.

"Be careful!" Riku called, pushing her out of the way, but tripping before he could move away as well.

Kairi screamed as the rocks hit Riku, seeing how his body rolled over to the side, even as Sora flew towards his side. "No! Riku!"

"He's knocked out, but he's breathing!" told her Sora. "Kairi, we have to capture this before it's too late!"

She glanced towards Riku. She wasn't going to be able to help him with a wild card attacking, she knew that, but still...

"Kairi!"

"Jump!" she casted, jumping towards the magic bear. "Sora, take care of Riku!"

The problem was, she thought as she tried to distract it from where Riku and Sora where, the way it moved. If she could stop its movements somehow, she'd be able to seal it. But casting Blizzard with Ice takes her too long, never mind Blizzaga, and the same is true for Stop, and those are the most powerful spells she knows how to handle so far.

"Watch out!" Sora called. Kairi jumped away, barely avoiding a massive paw that had been trying to squash her, landing on a palm tree.

And then she noticed that all the palm trees where still standing, completely unharmed.

"Forest!"

The Forest nymph flew from the card after she casted it, giving a smile as she wove and twined herself around the bear. Kairi was certain that she could hear the way the nymph laughed as it bind the bear in her vines, finally, _finally_ stopping the card.

She sighed, relieved beyond words as she raised her keyblade to seal the card. "Return to your true form!"

The card dissolved into magic and smoke, flying to her hand with Forest. Earthy looked much less vicious now that it was in its card form. She could almost think that it looked cute. Kairi allowed herself a deep breath before she remembered that Riku could be injured, as well as Sora, so she turned around, running as fast as she could, watching as the damage from the earthquake disappeared.

"Sora! I got it!" She shouted. "How's Riku?"

There wasn't, however, an actual answer. Kairi froze as she saw that Sora, sitting besides Riku, was glowing. He smiled at her, looking as if he could start jumping up and down right then and there.

"Write your name on the card, Kairi," he told her. "Make the card yours."

"But..."

"Go on! Trust me on this one."

Kairi nodded, opening her purse again to take out her pen, writing her name below the card as Sora had told her when they started collecting the cards. It was hard to believe that she had captured so many cards, that almost a year had gone by and--

The glow around Sora intensified when she put the last 'I'. Gaping, Kairi stared as Sora's wings grew, enveloping him in warm, golden light, the same array that appeared when she released her keyblade below him. And when Sora's wings opened, the lion cub was gone. In his place stood a young man who looked about her age, with warm tanned skin, wild, spiked dark hair and gold and red clothes. He had wings, wide and powerful, and a pendant with a sun and a crown hanging from his neck. If it hadn't been for the brilliantly blue, ever so familiar blue eyes, perhaps Kairi wouldn't have known him.

"... Sora?"

"Told you that I had a magnificent real form!"

Kairi giggled, happy and excited and perhaps just a little bit overwhelmed. "... magnificent? With that hair?"

"Hey!"

And then she laughed again, wrapping her arms tightly around Sora's neck, shaking a little. She felt Sora startle before he hugged her back, ever so gently.

"We did it," Sora whispered, and Kairi was about to nod before she remembered.

"God, Riku! Sora, can you cast Curaga? I'm too tired to--" she blinked. She had let go of Sora, turning towards where Riku had been on the floor, but he wasn't there anymore. "Sora, where's Riku?"

Sora looked around again, as shocked as she was to find him missing when suddenly, he turned around, a hand in front of her, fire burning in his hand as he looked towards the shadows. Behind them, over the ocean, the Sun was slowly sinking into it.

"Here."

Her dream. Kairi covered her mouth with her hands as she looked how the shadows seemed to move away for him. His hair was longer now, a blindfold covering his eyes. He was wearing a black leather coat, black boots, and the same kind of wings Sora had were on his back. He had a pendant of a crescent moon and a crown.

It was Riku, but something inside her told her that it wasn't the Riku she knew.

"Man, Xemnas, really, why did you have to change your name?" Sora shook his head, grinning, letting go of the fire. He approached Riku. "I was worried about you, y'know!"

"I only recently started remembering everything about two weeks ago," the young man said, even as Sora hugged him tightly. "I think that was my false form. My powers were locked with them so..."

"So I didn't have a chance to sense you. Great, I turn into a cub and you get the cool form, typical. Wait, so should I call you Riku now? It kinda fits you, I guess, but--"

Two weeks ago. Kairi had captured the Light and the Dark then, and Riku had complained about having a headache.

"Sora, what..." she started, uncertain of how or what she wanted to ask. There was too much she wanted to know, so many things she needed to ask. Riku had arrived at Destiny Islands about two weeks before she found out the Kingdom Cards and Sora. Had everything he had told her been a lie? "Riku?"

"Hey, Kairi!" But Sora looked so happy, pretty much bouncing. He had done the same when he had been a cub. "I was telling you about this guy! He's the Moon Guardian!"

"Moon...?"

"Yeah, remember what you said Light and Dark told you? How there was a balance? Well, he's mine!" Sora grinned, still sort of leaning against Riku. Xemnas. "Man, it's so unfair you didn't remember! We could've used the help."

But despite Sora's friendly behavior, Kairi still thought there was something else. She could understand amnesia, could understand magic locking some memories and power away – more or less – but she didn't understand why Riku was acting so... cold.

"Riku... I mean, Xemnas..."

"You can call me Riku," he offered, his voice low. "But I'm afraid you're not done yet."

"Huh?" said Sora.

Kairi swallowed. "Done with what?"

"My job as the Moon Guardian is to judge if you, Kairi, the chosen Key Bearer, are worthy enough of the title of Card Master. You have to defeat me."

"What?!" Kairi asked, turning to look towards Sora, who had stopped smiling. "You never mentioned that!"

"Xem-- Riku! C'mon, you know her! How is it necessary to do that?!"

"Because King Mickey told me to," Riku answered, wings widening, and Kairi released her keyblade again. "Sora, remember that you're forbidden to interrupt this! If she receives help, the Judgment will immediately fail!"

Sora gritted his teeth, hands tightening into fists, and then he ran towards Kairi, hands on her shoulders.

"Listen to me, you have to fight him and--"

"_I'm not going to--_"

"Kairi! You have to do it! If not, we'll be gone!" Sora told her, frantic. "And worse! You absolutely have to!"

"But it's Riku!"

"Because he's a stubborn asshole you have to!" Riku, apparently, was done with waiting, because ice shards flew towards them, breaking them apart. Sora looked at her desperately. "Remember what you told me, Kairi!"

She didn't get a chance to ask Sora what he meant by that: she was too busy trying to avoid Riku's attacks.

Defeat Riku. Kairi was trying hard not to panic at the mere idea of that, never mind actually having to do so. By Sora's words, some cards were moon-powered, and thus they wouldn't work against their guardian, most likely.

"Firaga!" She felt Firey feeding her spell for a moment, just enough to melt some of the ice shards, but Riku flew away from the path of the fire, and Kairi was ever so thankful of that. She really, really didn't want to hurt him. "Riku, stop this!"

He appeared from the right, an ice shard long and shaped like a blade, and she barely has enough time to use her key blade to block. But Riku is stronger, and he has wings, and when he pushes, Kairi hits the ground. Hard.

"Riku!" This would be slightly easier if she knew which cards worked for Riku, which ones for Sora, so that she could know what to use, something that wouldn't hurt Riku, because she didn't want that. She just wanted Riku to listen to her. She just wanted Riku to understand. "I don't want to fight you!"

"Are you giving up?" Riku asked, eyes on her.

"What would happen then? If I lost?" She asked, still thinking about her cards. Not the water-based ones, surely, and if Sora had said that he needed both Firey and Earth to get his real form, then that meant that she couldn't use Windy either...

"You'd forget."

She felt the way her heart froze, and she had to stare at Riku, not thinking at all. "What?"

"You wouldn't have met either of us, nor the cards. You'd go back to your normal life before us."

Not knowing Riku and Sora. A whole year of memories, gone. No laughter, no tears, no sharing her dessert with Sora, nothing of her aunts costumes, of Riku's gruff but tender nature. There would be no best friends who knew her best.

She'd forget them. They would be gone and she wouldn't know what she was missing, just that her heart had been torn. She turned to look at Sora, but he looked sad, so very sad. She thought of the cards, of how much she cared for them, how hard it had been to get to know them. She thought about Earthy, the card she hadn't had the chance to meet yet.

"No," she stated, standing up. "No. I wont' allow that. No! Riku! You can't! There is no way you want that!"

Riku didn't say yes or no, and with the blindfold on, his expression was blank.

"Then defeat me," and he launched towards her again.

Kairi knew that she had one shot, and she hoped she was right.

"Thundaga!" She could feel the way the Thunder Card fed on her magic, and she prayed that her theory that Riku, by holding control of Water elements, was weak to Thunder was right, or else--

* * *

"How many fingers?"

_Breathing_ hurt as Riku opened his eyes. He felt as if something big and vicious had danced a tap on his chest, but he did manage to open his eyes, looking at Sora holding fingers in front of his face.

"Six," he muttered, his head hurting and-- on someone's legs.

"He's feeling sarcastic already," Sora said with a grin, and Riku looked to find Kairi's worried expression as she held his head on her lap. He flushed. Who the hell had taken off his blindfold?! "He'll live."

"Are you okay, Riku?"

He scrambled away, ignoring the way his body hurt. Her eyes were wide and sad on his.

"I'm sorry, but--"

"She won, man" Sora said, bouncing. "You know she did."

And... he did. Part of him didn't mind. The part of him that had been Kairi's friend for the past year, who had gotten to know her... he knew she'd be a good master.

The part of him that still missed King Mickey, that... that part would take on longer to accept this. But he knew what he had to do, even if it hurt. He stood up slowly, ignoring the panicked looks both Sora and Kairi wore, spreading his wings.

"The judgment is over now. Kairi, you are now the master of the Kingdom Cards, and ours."

Kairi smiled, but then she glanced at Sora, who nodded, and then she turned towards him again.

"Do I have to be?"

"... what?"

"Your master. I don't want to be your master" Kairi told him. She smiled. "I told Sora the same thing when we first met. I just want to be your friend. Riku, you and Sora are my best friends. I don't want that to change."

Sora grinned, arms crossed behind his head. "That's how I knew she'd be the one."

Kairi touched his hand, and Riku didn't recoil from it. It was familiar this closeness with her. Even if he now remembered another life, this was still very much present.

"I don't want to replace king Mickey. I know that both you and Sora care for him a lot, and that wouldn't be fair to you. So... I won't. But I'd like it if we could keep on being friends, as we were doing. Would that be okay, Riku?"

Not a Master, but a friend. It wasn't what he had been told would happen, but somehow, Riku couldn't say he minded. He closed his eyes, reverting back to his more normal form, wings and black coat gone, hair not as long. Sora grinned, willing his wings away before he approached them both, throwing an arm around Riku's neck and dragging him down a bit, so that he could drape his arm around Kairi as well.

"Alright! We should go celebrate! I'm starving!"

Kairi laughed. "You're always starving."

"You should have seen him in Disney Castle, he could eat Goofy under the table--"

"Hey! That's not true!"

"Let's go home," Kairi said, looking happy and pleased, taking one of Sora's hand and one of Riku's. "My aunts won't mind the extra people."

"Have I mentioned that I love your aunts?" Sora said.

"Well, I'll have to explain to my aunts that 'the lovely cub' is actually a boy," Kairi said, grinning. "And you know how aunt Flora, Fauna and Merryweather are."

Riku couldn't help but snort at how Sora paled at that comment, and then laughing as Kairi did the same thing and it felt _so_ very good that Riku thought they might just have to keep on laughing for the rest of the night.


End file.
